1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for converting centrifugal force into linear motion. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device which utilizes centrifugal force to return and hold in balance a mounted-out-of-balance rotor creating a thrust that is transferred by a belt to propel the device in a chosen direction, as described herein.
At rest, a rotor is pressured to one side, off-balance, in a wide central bearing aperture by the tension of a belt around its circumference to a motor pulley attached to the base of the device. At high speed, centrifugal force generated by the rotor creates its own suspended rotational balance centered within the aperture. This increases the tension of the belt to the motor, thus pulling with full power the base and the device in the opposite direction of the original tension.
2. Description of the Background Art
Various devices for utilizing centrifugal force to propel a vehicle are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,212 discloses a wheeled vehicle on which two counter-rotating masses are arranged for rotation about spaced-apart vertical axes. The two centrifugal force generators are operated in synchronism to produce a forwardly directed force. The eccentricity of the centrifugal force generators may be varied by movement of weights along endless flexible members. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,238,968 discloses a device which utilizes a pair of counter-rotating arms for the conversion of centrifugal force to linear force and motion. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,700 discloses a plurality of rotating masses which are arranged to produce centrifugal force components in the desired direction of travel in order to produce a single propulsive force acting in one direction.
The prior art devices are very complex, and require sophisticated mechanisms to coordinate the movement of the plurality of rotating masses.